Apple Inc. Launches Investigation Into An iPhone 7 Plus Explosion

The Galaxy Note 7 horror is still fresh in most users’ minds. Whenever there is a report of a smartphone explosion, it reminds people of Samsung’s ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. On Wednesday, Brianna Olivas from Arizona tweeted a video of her rose gold iPhone 7 Plus bursting into flames. The video has been retweeted more than 24,000 time and has been viewed almost 1.3 million times, according to Mashable.

Image Credit: Brianna Olivas (@briannaolivas_) / Twitter (screenshot)

The iPhone 7 Plus’ weird behavior started a day before explosion

The video shows the phone’s case melting away and smoke emerging from one side of the device. Apple has launched an investigation into why the iPhone 7 Plus caught fire. Olivas also tweeted pictures of the smartphone taken after the explosion. Some Twitter users commented that the explosion might have been caused due to the liquid-filled iPhone case, though there is no evidence to support that theory, reports Mashable.

Brianna Olivas said her iPhone 7 Plus started showing signs of trouble a day before it exploded. The phone wouldn’t turn on, so she took it to the Sprint store from where she had purchased the device in January. A Sprint employee got the handset to turn on. The employee ran diagnostic tests and found no problems at all with the iPhone 7 Plus, even though they said it “looked weird.” Anyway, the phone was working again.

Apple is in touch with the customer

Next morning, the device was charging next to Brianna’s head. She told Mashable that she always uses the official Apple charger. Her boyfriend took it off of the charger and put it on the dresser. He went to the restroom. From there, he noticed from the corner of his eye that smoke was coming out of the phone. He also heard a “squealing noise.” By the time he reached over to the phone, it was already bursting into flames.

Brianna said her boyfriend threw the phone into the restroom, where it blew up and started spewing more smoke. She has since turned over the iPhone 7 Plus to Apple, which immediately issued a replacement device. An Apple representative said the company was running some tests, and results of the investigation are expected within a week. Apple is currently “in touch with the customer.”

Not the first instance of iPhone 7 explosion

Lithium-ion batteries that are used in smartphones are vulnerable to overheating and catching fire, especially if they are damaged or defective. Batteries could also catch fire due to a knockoff charger or faulty repair. Brianna said her phone was working perfectly fine until Tuesday when she had to take it to the Sprint store.

It’s not the first time an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus has caught fire. In October last year, an iPhone 7 caught fire inside a man’s car in Australia. Another iPhone 7 exploded in November in China after falling from just 50cm.